AlternativeTo is a great way to find free, better, or alternative versions of software: (it's especially useful because you can search for a Windows app that you use, and see if there is a comparable Mac version)

QuickLock: Lock your Mac, Windows-style. Lifehacker has a nice article on it. Free in beta. This is something I've missed from the Windows world, especially coming from an IT job where I constantly lock my PC (or if you have kids or annoying roommates around, haha). Free in beta.

Caffeine: I set my monitors to auto-sleep after 10 minutes, so when I'm away from my computer I don't have to remember to shut them off. However, this gets annoying when watching a movie or doing other things that don't keep the computer from going to sleep. Caffeine is a simple menubar icon that lets you temporarily disable display sleep. Free.

VMware Fusion: Run Windows, Linux, or Mac in a virtual machine. VirtualBox is a free alternative. I'm not a big fan of Parallels because I seem to get burned every other update, plus my VMware VM's transfers to the Windows version of VMware nicely. $50.

VMware Fusion: Run Windows, Linux, or Mac in a virtual machine. VirtualBox is a free alternative. I'm not a big fan of Parallels because I seem to get burned every other update, plus my VMware VM's transfers to the Windows version of VMware nicely. $50.

I have a little trouble using it. When I open the VMware, my computer runs slowly and less responsive. Is this my computer problems or I haven't a good installation ? Ths.

VMware Fusion: Run Windows, Linux, or Mac in a virtual machine. VirtualBox is a free alternative. I'm not a big fan of Parallels because I seem to get burned every other update, plus my VMware VM's transfers to the Windows version of VMware nicely. $50.

I have a little trouble using it. When I open the VMware, my computer runs slowly and less responsive. Is this my computer problems or I haven't a good installation ? Ths.

What are the specs of your computer?

You're effectively splitting your computer's resources in half, so the better hardware you have, the better performance you'll get. I'd recommend at least 4 gigs of RAM on the system and a solid-state drive for good performance. And i5 or better helps too, since you can give the VM it's own "dual-core processor".

iFFmpeg: iFFmpeg is a graphical front-end for FFmpeg, a command-line tool used to convert multimedia files between formats. The command line instructions can be very hard to master/understand, so iFFmpeg does all the hard work for you. This allows you to use FFmpeg without detailed command-line knowledge. $12 dollars

I don't frequently buy apps, but this one was a must for me. I got fed up with handbreak and I'm happy an app like this even exists. Converts everything I throw at it, and converts it right. It's simple to use, and can get complex as you need it to. Also, the author personally responds to emails. Great guy. I ran into an issue with an update, and shot him an email, and he responded and sorted it all out. And I know he's done the same for others as well.

Simple yet effective interface and icon in menu bar for showing system temperature and fan speed. You can also control both system fans (In my rPro) independently setting fan speed for more intense workloads to help prevent/reduce throttling.

iFFmpeg: iFFmpeg is a graphical front-end for FFmpeg, a command-line tool used to convert multimedia files between formats. The command line instructions can be very hard to master/understand, so iFFmpeg does all the hard work for you. This allows you to use FFmpeg without detailed command-line knowledge. $12 dollars

I don't frequently buy apps, but this one was a must for me. I got fed up with handbreak and I'm happy an app like this even exists. Converts everything I throw at it, and converts it right. It's simple to use, and can get complex as you need it to. Also, the author personally responds to emails. Great guy. I ran into an issue with an update, and shot him an email, and he responded and sorted it all out. And I know he's done the same for others as well.

Wow, that is awesome, I've been looking for a good format converter, thanks!

Smoothmouse: Someone finally fixed the acceleration curve for mice. Particularly relevant if you play any games on OS X. Also corrects for mouse lag. Amazed and thankful that people with talent, took the time to fix one of my greatest annoyances on OS X. Fiddling with terminal and other apps that attempted to correct OS X's acceleration curve never really got it right. This one does. Currently free as a beta.

Smoothmouse: Someone finally fixed the acceleration curve for mice. Particularly relevant if you play any games on OS X. Also corrects for mouse lag. Amazed and thankful that people with talent, took the time to fix one of my greatest annoyances on OS X. Fiddling with terminal and other apps that attempted to correct OS X's acceleration curve never really got it right. This one does. Currently free as a beta.

iFFmpeg: iFFmpeg is a graphical front-end for FFmpeg, a command-line tool used to convert multimedia files between formats. The command line instructions can be very hard to master/understand, so iFFmpeg does all the hard work for you. This allows you to use FFmpeg without detailed command-line knowledge. $12 dollars

I don't frequently buy apps, but this one was a must for me. I got fed up with handbreak and I'm happy an app like this even exists. Converts everything I throw at it, and converts it right. It's simple to use, and can get complex as you need it to. Also, the author personally responds to emails. Great guy. I ran into an issue with an update, and shot him an email, and he responded and sorted it all out. And I know he's done the same for others as well.